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This Startup Aims to Reduce the Need for Needles for Blood Draws

Startups that aim to cut back on the use of needles for blood draws may face some skepticism these days—the unfortunate legacy of troubled unicorn Theranos.

But Velano Vascular, a tiny San Francisco outfit launched in 2012, bears little resemblance to Theranos, which aspires to perform diagnostic tests using blood drops lanceted from the capillaries of a finger.

To begin with, Velano’s invention taps into the same, scientifically uncontroversial venous blood (i.e., blood from veins, not capillaries) that traditional syringes tap into. In addition, its device is fully FDA-approved. Moreover, the company’s founders—CEO Eric Stone and president Pitou Devgon, M.D.—are willing to show you how its device works, something Theranos was never willing to permit…